Lock-lifter for railway automatic couplings.



No. 697,048. Patented Apr. 8, I902.

T. WELCH. LOCK LIFTER FOR RAILWAY AUTOMATIC COUPLINGS. (Apph t nflldJ'IyBl 1899 RnwdSpt 17 1900) (No Model.)

WITNESSES.

11v VENTOR M -o Attm-ney ATENT OFFICE.

THOMAS l/VELCH, OF PAlV PAV, MICHIGAN.

LOCK-LllFTER FOR RAILWAY AUTOMATIC COUPLINGS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 697,048, dated April 8, 1902.

Application filed July 21, 1899. Renewed $eptcmber 17, 1900. $erial No. 30,344. (No model.)

To (tZZ whom, it 11mg concern:

Be it known that I, THOMAS WELoH, a citizen of the United States, residing at Paw Paw, county of Van Buren, State of Michigan, have invented a certain new and useful Improvement in Lock-Lifters for Railway Automatic Couplers; and I declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, which form a part of this specification.

My invention has for its object to provide an improved lock-lifter for railway automatic couplers; and it consists of the construction, combination, and arrangement of devices hereinafter described and claimed, and illus trated in the accompanying drawings, in which Figure 1 is a view in perspective, illustrating features of my invention. Fig. 2 is a detail View of the lock-lifter, showing the same provided with a round spiral compressionspring. Fig. 3 is a similar view showing a flattened spiral compression-spring. Fig. 4 is a detail view of one of the safety-hooks. Fig. 5 is an end view of the device illustrated in Fig. 3. Fig. 6 is an end view of the device illustrated in Fig. 2.

A compression-spring has been found to possess particular advantages for drawing the lock in a railway-car coupler, for the reason that the application of tension compresses the spring, a compressed spring lifting the look when the lock is free to be moved. A com pression-spring does not lose its elasticityand tial. The compression-spring is of such a heft that it need not be compressed in actuating the locking device when there is no strain thereupon, the spring being compressed, however, when there is a strain thus upon the locking device to be overcome, owing to the straining position of the cars. It will be obvious that when the spring is so compressed and the strain upon the locking device is relieved the recoil of the compression-spring will draw the lock.

I have illustrated my invention as applied to a car in Fig. 1, in which A represents the body of a car. 7

B represents any desired form of coupler mechanism.

0 represents the lock or coupling-pin.

D represents a rock-shaft of any suitable construction secured to the end of a car, the same being herewith shown as provided with an arm d.

E represents my improved lock-lifting device, said device embodying a couple of safetyhooks (indicated by the numerals 1 and 2) and a spring (indicated by the numeral 3) surrounding portions of said hooks. These hooks are preferably identical in form of construction, each hook being formed of a bar of steel bent intermediate its ends to form a hooked end 4 and a looped end 5. The'hooked and looped portions 4 and 5 of the safety-hook, as shown, are formed by bending the bar of steel back upon itself, thereby doubling the bar to form a strong hook 4 and a strong loop 5. One extremity of the bar, as indicated,

preferably projects singly from the looped portion 5, adjacent to the hooked portion 4, to form a spring-arm 6. The hooked end 4 of one of the safety-hooks is engageable with the arm of the rock-shaft or any analogous lifting device, while the hooked portion 4 of the other safety-hook is engageable with the lock-pin or eyebolt passing into the coupling mechanism.

To engage the safety-hooks with the pin or lifting-arm, any suitable implement may be employed to spring outward the spring-arm 6 in order that the eye of the pin or arm may be engaged with said hooked portion. The two safety-hooks are engaged with the surrounding spring in reversed position-i. 6., the hook portion 4 of one of the safety-hooks projecting in one direction while the hook portion of the corresponding device projects in the opposite direction. To effect a compression of the spring, the opposite ends of the spring are secured by any suitable means with the looped portions 5 5 of the safetyhooks.

In Figs. 2 and 6,Where a round coiled spring 3 is employed, the extremities of the springs may be engaged with the looped portions 5 of the safety-hooks by means of cross-bars 7. Said cross-bars extend through the inside of the corresponding loop and between the sides of the companion safety-hook, as indicated in Figs. 2 and 6. This cross-bar, if used, might be held in place in any suitable manner. It is preferred, however, to employ a flattened coiled spring (illustrated in Figs. 3 and 5) and to turn the two extremities of the wire of which the spring is formed to form engaging ends, as indicated more particularly in Fig. 5 at the numeral 8, the engaging ends 8 projecting inside the corresponding loops 5 of the safety-hooks. This construction dispenses altogether with the cross-arms 7 and simplifies as well as cheapens the construction of the device. The safety-hooks 1 2 extend through the spring, as shown and described, the hooked and looped ends projecting from the extremities of the spring.

It will be evident that when the rock-shaft is manipulated, should there be a strain upon the coupling mechanism, the spring will be compressed and in readiness to lift the pin (3 as the strain is relieved therefrom. It is obvious that the lock-liftin g device may readily be attached and may as easily be removed Whenever required.

The special construction of the safetyhooks, as hereinbefore described, renders the device especially convenient for attaching and detaching the same, while the safetyhooks are found,as so constructed, to be strong and durable. The whole device may readily be substituted in place of customary chains or other devices heretofore in use to lift the lock of car-couplers.

It is evident that the spring-arm is adj ustable, so that the hooked portion of each of the safety-hooks may readily be engaged with different sizes of lifting-pins or rock-shafts oranalogous devices.

It will be perceived that there is an obvious advantage in the use of a flat coiled compression-spring. Obviously there must be sufficient room within the spring to open the spring-arm of the safety-hook. Were a circular compression-spring employed, it would have to be of sufficient diameter to permit the opening of said spring-arm, thereby makinga bulky spring. Moreover, in a spring of necessary size made circular the extremities of the wire from which the spring is coiled would stand outor away from the safety-hook so far that the extremities could not be turned in practically to engage the safety-hook, as shown in Fig. 5 of the drawings; but by fiattening the spring anelongated opening'is made through the spring of sufficient width to permit the opening of the spring-arm,while the transverse width of said opening would be so narrow as to permit the ends of the spring hooks, and a compression-spring engaged therewith, with an adj ustable arm extending into proximity to the corresponding hook for the purpose described.

2. An unlocking device for car-couplers consisting of oppositely arranged safetyhooks, and a compression spring engaged therewith, each of said safety-hooks construct ed with metal turned back upon itself intermediate its ends, and a spring-arm for the purpose described.

3. An unlocking device for carcouplers consisting of oppositely -arranged safetyhooks, each provided with a spring-arm ex tending into proximity to the corresponding hook, and a compression-spring engaged at its opposite ends with said safety-hooks, for the purpose described.

t. An unlocking device for car-couplers consisting of oppositely arranged safetyhooks, and a flat coiled compression-spring engaged therewith,substantiallyas described.

5. An unlocking device for car-couplers consisting of oppositely arranged safetyhooks, and a compression-spring engaged therewith,each of said safety-hooks constructed of metal turned back upon its intermediate ends to form a hook portion at one end thereof, and a looped portion at the other end thereof, one extremity of said metal projecting from the opposite end thereof to form a spring-arm extending from the looped portion to the hooked portion of the safety-hook, for the purpose described. v

6. An unlocking device for car-couplers consisting of oppositely-arranged safetyhooks and a fiat coiled compression-spring engaged therewith, the ends of said spring bein g turned inward to engage the loops of said safety-hooks for the purpose set forth.

'7. An unlocking device for car couplers consisting of oppositely-arranged hooks having spring-arms terminating adjacent to the hooked ends thereof, a compression-spring engaged therewith and means extending transversely of the springs to engage the extremities of the spring with the corresponding ends of the hooks to secure the compression of the spring for the purpose described.

8. The combination with a vertical-hook car-coupler,havinga knuckle hinged to swing laterally, of a rock-bar, a locking device and an unlocking device consisting of hooks having spring-arms terminating adjacent to the hooked ends thereof and a compressionspring, one end of one of said hooks engaged with the rock-shaft and the opposite end of the other hook engaged with the locking device for the purpose set forth.

9. The combination with the locking deconnected with the rock-shaft and another atvice of an automatic car-coupling and a rocktached to the locking device. 10 shaft, of a compression-spring, transversely- In' testimony whereof I signthis specificadisposed devices at the respective ends of the tion in the presence of two Witnesses.

5 spring, hooks directly engaging said devices, THOMAS WVELCH.

extending longitudinally of the spring and Witnesses: having their hooked ends projecting beyond N. S. WRIGHT,

the other ends of the spring, one of said hooks M. HICKEY. 

